Mako Eyes
by tundrasretreat
Summary: A Shinra fanfiction. Ever wondered how Rufus got Geostigma? Fed up of all the missing plot holes, or just curious about their past? Hopefully, this story will answer some of your questions. Set around the time of Before Crisis. Constructive crit. welcomed
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah, I know I shouldn't be starting anything else until I've finished the last one, but I know if I don't write it down, I'll forget it like last time. So please forgive me! The fact that Rufus had Geostigma in Advent Children had been bugging me for a while, as the only two ways you could get it was either from being touched by the lifestream during Meteorfall (which was contaminated by JENOVA and Sephiroth), or if you'd have JENOVA cells already inside you. Using my most wonderful logic, I determined that Rufus must have been safely tucked up in a hospital or clinic or somewhere during Meteorfall, recovering from the WEAPON attack. (Don't ask me to explain that yet, I'm still concocting up fantasies of his survival :P) So the only way Rufus would have Geostigma, must have been due to JENOVA cells inside his body.**

**There. Logic. I haz it.**

**Disclaimer: The usual. I do not own. Bah. **

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A murmuring whir came from the leaves of President Shinra's plant pot that was sitting the corner of his room; too quiet to hear.

The President sat at his desk, gazing quietly outside the window at his empire below. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." He called, turning to the door to see who was bothering him this time. "Ah! Scarlet, Heidegger, please; come in." He beckoned the pair to his desk.

"Thank you, Sir." Scarlet sauntered up to the desk, and perched herself down on it, quite casually. She ignored the frown from the President and smiled at Heidegger, who seemed to be sweating profusely.

"Mr. President, Sir." Heidegger began. "Scarlet and I have been talking and-"

"It's about your son, Sir." Scarlet interrupted, leaning over and flashing a sickening smile. Heidegger scowled but let her continue; he felt uncomfortable talking to the President about this matter, and the more Scarlet did; the better.

"Rufus? What's the matter? What has he done this time?" The President enquired; worried that he'd have to sort out something else his son had got himself into.

"Oh, he's done nothing wrong, Sir, quite the contrary." The blonde reassured him, "As I'm sure you're aware, you son has an amazing military mind; quite the little leader."

"Yes, I'm certainly aware of that fact; I dread the day that he takes over this company."

"Why, Sir? He will be brilliant, surely?" Heidegger snorted at the President's remark.

"That's exactly why..." Heidegger frowned... he didn't quite follow.

"Anyway, Sir. Heidegger and I, we were wondering, have you ever thought about having your son join the military?" Scarlet flashed her deep azure eyes. The President frowned, and got out of his chair; prompting Scarlet to also stand, if only out of respect.

"Only in passing. Whilst you're correct that he has a frighteningly keen mind, his body is far too weak to withstand such responsibility."

"But strong enough to withstand that of taking over the company?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Scarlet, you know full well that's completely different. As driven as my son is, there is no way his body could cope with it; it's not worth the risk!" Shinra glowered. Though he and his son did not get on, the threat of leaving the company in the hands of Scarlet or Heidegger if anything were to happen to him was unthinkable.

"But, Sir; there are ways of changing that." Heidegger stated.

The room fell silent.

"Mako exposure?"

"Why not? You've seen the success Hojo has had with the SOLDIER recruits."

Shinra frowned, walked over to the window and looked out across the city.

"Just think; your son could be assisting leading some of the finest warriors ever known! ShinRa Company would be unstoppable, why, he could become the next-"

_Click_

Rufus switched off the speakers on his computer. He couldn't listen anymore. He sighed and pushed the hair out of his eyes, glancing at the bugging device he'd fitted to the machine. Scoffing, he picked up the large stack of paperwork that sat upon his desk and began scanning through them. Though he'd only been gone a few days, it seemed that things piled up fast at ShrinRa Company.

"Rufus! Sir! I'm sorry; I thought you were away on a business trip!" Rufus turned around to see a very nervous looking Tseng standing at the door. Rufus glanced at him briefly, before turning back to his papers.

"I was sent home early." He said, immediately regretting his decision.

"Sent home? Why? What on earth is the matter? Are you ill?" Tseng probed, rushing over to see if he was okay.

"I'm fine, I just had a slight cough and the snooty bastards didn't want me contaminating their precious offices." Rufus spat, glowering fiercely at the files, as if they were the men themselves. "So you can relax, I'm not dying. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've plenty of work to catch up on."

Tseng looked doubtful, but did as he was told anyway, making sure to shut the door quietly behind him.

"Yo, Tseng! What were you doing in Rufus' office?" Tseng cringed as Reno's voice called him from across the corridor.

"It's none of your business. Now get back to work!" Tseng replied, walking over to the Turk's station, removing Reno's beer from his hand.

"Is 'Master Shinra' back already?" Reno joked, chuckling as Tseng threw the empty can in the bin.

"He's back? Bloody hell that was quick." Shotgun peeped over from behind her desk. Tseng sighed in frustration.

"He's bunking off business meetings as well now? Jeeze, that kid's slipping, I know he's young an' all, but I thought he was meant to be Vice President." Two Guns joined in the conversation, casually leaning against Reno's desk.

"Hey watch it man! Don't mess up the paperwork, yo!"

"So, can we go and say hi?" Knife smiled, tripping over the trash can as she made her way across the room.

"I think it's best if we left him be for now." Tseng frowned.

"Why? Is he emo'ing again?" Reno sniggered, gently kicking Two Guns off his desk.

"Ah, Reno. Rufus doesn't emo, you know that. You need to be capable of _emotion_ to do that." Two Guns quipped as he kicked him back.

"Ah, yes, our dear Ice Prince. How is he, oh Tseng of the North?" Shotgun winked at Tseng, noticing he was getting slightly agitated.

"Fine, but you should all leave him rest for now." Tseng tried to wade his way through the increasing gaggle of Turks to the other side of the room.

"Why? Is he sick again?" Knife asked, biting her lip anxiously, before realising she'd bit it too hard...

"No, just... just a bit pale that's all." Tseng hoped that that would shut them all up.

"Pale? Pale?! He's always pale! Hell, if I didn't know any better, I would swear he was a vampire or something, yo!" Reno said, winking at Shotgun who was desperately trying to suppress a fit of giggles.

"Uuuugh, Vampire!!! Let me suck your bloooood!!!" Reno got up and started to pretend to chew on Two Gun's head.

"Hey watch it! You're meant to be a vampire not a zombie!! Leave my hair out of this!!!" He batted the red head away.

"Oh you're right, yo! But not just a vampire, a Rufus vampire!!!" Reno flicked his hair out of his eyes, mimicking Rufus perfectly, and proceeded to stalk Two Guns around the room, flicking his hair all the while. Shotgun and Knife were now in fits of laughter; even Tseng couldn't help but smile.

"Batten down the hatches everyone, Scarlet alert." Martial Arts appeared from around the corner, exasperated look on her face.

"Yo, Martia, glad you could join us!" Reno giggled, before abruptly shutting up as Scarlet appeared, with the usual superior smirk plastered on her face.

"Oh look, it's the chimps. What are we all up to today than?" Scarlet walked over to Reno, who was glaring intensely at her. "Hmm, I think somebody has been drinking; I can smell it on your breath."

"Least it's better than yours, dog breath." Reno snapped. Martia laughed, before clasping her hand to her mouth as Scarlet suddenly turned on her.

"And what do _you_ think is so funny?" She snarled. Martia simply stared right back, trying to control her temper. Normally, she could keep a very level head; but Scarlet was the one thing that drove her insane.

"Hey, you leave Martia outta this, yo. It was me, not her!" Reno yelled; fully aware of his friends weakness.

"Oh, so you're calling her Martia now? I suppose that's so you don't confuse the two Martial Arts up then? Gender wasn't a distinction enough was it? Well... just look at her I'm not surprised....Kya ha ha ha!"

"That's it!!!" Martia leapt forwards at Scarlet, before being quickly restrained by Knife and Shotgun.

"Leave her! She's not worth it! She's just a bitch!" Knife tried to reason with the furious Turk.

"Well let me at her then! I'll rip the bitch right outta her!!!" She yelled.

Scarlet grinned, pleased with the reaction she got.

"Well, I'll leave you monkeys to it. I've got work to do, and I'll never get anything done talking to you rabble, why, I wouldn't be surprised if my IQ dropped ten points simply from talking to you!"

"So you're in negative numbers now then?" Reno muttered quietly to himself. Fortunately, Scarlet didn't hear him, and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Martia kicked the trash can across the room, scattering across the floor; but for once, nobody reprimanded her.

"God, that woman drives me insane!" She snarled, clenching her teeth.

"Who does she think she is, coming in here and deliberately causing trouble?" Knife shook her head and began clearing up the mess.

"She thinks she's so special....just because she's on good terms with the President seems to make her think she can get away with anything." Shotgun sighed. "She's like: 'Hi, I'm Scarlet, I think I'm so wonderful, because I sound like a donkey's ass and have plastic breasts, KYA HA HA HA!!'"

Martia grinned at her friends.

"KYA HA HA HA!!" The others joined in.

"Quick! Let's flash my breasts at the President so I don't have to work this weekend!"

"KYA HA HA HA!!!!"

"I walk around with Heidegger all day, so people don't notice this dress is two sizes too small!!"

"KYA HA HA HA!!!!!"

"What the _hell_ is going on here?"

The others immediately turned around, only to see a fuming Rufus standing at the doorway.

"Nothing, Sir." Tseng tried to reassure the Vice President.

"Thank god, for a moment I thought there were more of them." He said, dryly. The Turks didn't know whether they were allowed to laugh.

"Good to have you back, Sir. How was it?" Knife smiled, hoping her question would break the tension in the room.

"Complete waste of time, but no matter. It cannot be helped." He coughed and made his way across the room to the door on the other side.

"You okay, Ruffy? Nasty cough you've got." Reno frowned, the suddenly wincing as Shotgun punched his shoulder.

"Don't call him Ruffy!" She hissed, as the Vice President glared back at him. Rufus merely looked around at them, before exiting the room in silence.

"So... I'll take that as a yes then shall I?" Reno raised and eyebrow before shaking his head.

"I think it'd be in your best interest if you did." Tseng said, sternly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lookie lookie! A new chapter put up so soon after the last?! That's unheard of! *ahem* Anyway, enjoy, usual disclaimers and so on and so forth. As also, reviews and constructive criticism is always welcomed. *grins***

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"_Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul,_

_Pride is lost_

_Wings stripped away, the end is nigh."_

"What the hell are you spouting, Katana?!" Reno glanced over at Katana, who was reading aloud from a book. The sullen faced man looked up over the brim of his glasses.

"It's from 'LOVELESS', not that someone such as you would appreciate something so beautiful." He replied in a bored monotone, seemingly used to Reno's remarks about his taste in literature.

"Beautiful? _Beautiful?_ It don't make no sense, yo!"

"Then, it's not my fault you're an idiot is it? And anyway, you don't always have to understand something to appreciate its beauty. Cosmo Canyon, the Lifestream, the Universe; all of them are mysterious in one way or another, but it doesn't stop them from being beautiful does it?" Katana got up from his desk, and placed the book upon Reno's desk.

"Cosmo Canyon? Beautiful? Really? It's just a big lump of rock..." He muttered, not making eye contact with his colleague.

"Like the contents of your head then?" Katana smiled as he tapped Reno's goggles.

"Hey, leave off Katana, 'kay?" Two Guns called over at the bickering pair.

"Why? Can't the 'quickest' of the Turks take a little tease? They obviously didn't give him that nickname for his intellectual skills, eh?" Katana smirked as Reno shot out of his chair.

"Hey, _buddy_, why don't you just-"

"Guys! GUYS! Leave it okay!!" Two Guns ran in between the two, who were squaring each other off. "Can we _please_ go one week without you two getting into an argument? It's almost as if you both deliberately stir each other up!" He sighed, gently pushing the couple apart. Reno looked down and sighed heavily. Katana merely corrected his glasses that had slipped to the tip of his nose. Two guns raised his hands in defeat.

"Trouble in the ranks?" A gentle voice interrupted the uncomfortable silence in the room.

"Hey, Reeve." Two Guns turned to the architect and smiled.

"You're all working late today, aren't you? What brought this on?" Reeve smiled at the three, glancing around the empty room; checking for any more of the Turks.

"We all were behind on paperwork, so Verdot made us stay behind." Informed Katana, picking up his large pile of folders, which he then placed on top of the filing cabinet at the side of the room.

"Ah, the curse of the Turks, eh?" Reeve chuckled. "Well, I suppose you can't always enjoy your missions, paperwork is important too remember!"

"Ah, what do you know, you're architect, you love paperwork." Two Guns muttered.

"Hey now! That's not all I do!" Reeve replied, indignantly.

"Yeah, the other times he's playing with dolls, yo." Reno scoffed, not even looking up from his desk; eyes set firmly at the mound of paperwork beneath him. Reeve chuckled forcefully.

"Then, I suppose I should leave you all to it then; while I go play with my 'dolls'."

"Yeah, actually Reno, I really ought to be going too, I've finished my paperwork, and I've got an early start tomorrow, they're sending me to Junon." Two Guns motioned to his work free desk, before heading to the door. "Try not to stay up too late, 'kay?"

"See you later, Reno!" Katana called over to him, already half way out the door.

Reno sulked as he looked at the masses of work he still had to do. His stomach rumbled.

"Okay now, Reno, just get this done, and you can go home and relax, yo." He mumbled to himself, trying to focus on the squiggles of words on the paper, pen firmly clasped in his hand. Only the other week, he'd managed to break him computer, so he was now forced to do all his work by hand until he could afford to replace it. He cursed under his breath as another splodge of ink found its way onto his work; he'd obviously become too heavily reliant on the office spell-check system. As the hours ticked by, he found himself becoming more and more frustrated with the slow pace at which he was working. He'd got cramp in his hand and a blister was steadily forming in his middle finger.

".....ut I don...... you..."

Reno looked up from his desk in confusion; raised voices were coming from President Shinra's office. It was far too muffled to hear what was being said, but it sounded incredibly heated nonetheless.

"....re tha.....stu...ay..."

He glanced at the clock.

"Bloody hell, it's half ten... what on earth are they up to in there?" He frowned, leaning back in his chair, trying to glance round the corner. "Damn, the door's shut." He sighed and tipped back forward.

"FUCK YOU OLD MAN!!!"

"Oh crap! It's not any more!" Reno went to get up, but got his foot caught in the leg of the stool and fell backwards onto the floor.

A furious Rufus stormed through the door, slamming it violently behind him. He kicked Katana's desk so his neatly organised pile of paperwork was scattered everywhere. Reno tried to silently crawl through the ocean of paper to the door, praying that Rufus wouldn't notice him lying there. Unfortunately, his leg was still caught on the chair, which came toppling down on top of him.

"Owowow!" Reno winced as the heavy chair caught the back of his head. Rufus turned around, eyes wide in surprise.

"What are you still doing here?" Rufus said, feigning calm. His normally pale face was flushed and his hair was unnaturally messy.

"J-just, finishing up some paper work, yo." Reno clambered to his feet, dusting off his shoulders and rubbing the lump on his head. The two stood in an uncomfortable silence before Rufus handed Reno the 'LOVELESS' book that had fallen to the floor.

"If my Father happens to ask, I've gone out." He said, shifting his hair so it no longer obscured his vision, trying to regain his composure.

"Yes, sir."

Rufus coughed before heading swiftly out the door. Reno shook his head, it was weird seeing somebody as stoic as Rufus loose his temper like that. '_What on earth must have they been talking about in there?'_ Reno thought to himself, as he picked up the paper off the floor, and continued to 'finish' the ever increasing pile of work.

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"No, I wasn't asleep, yo! I was just concentrating real har- oh..." Reno woke suddenly, usual excuse already half way out his mouth before realising he was alone. He looked around the office, all the lights were off bar his own; the place was empty. The only noise was the roar of the rain outside. He glanced at the clock that was ticking silently.

"Oh no, that can't be the time! I wasn't asleep for that long, yo!" He sighed in frustration; it was half twelve, he had to be up and on duty in five hours. Reno groaned as he gathered up his belongings. He hadn't finished his work, but he knew he'd be in more trouble if he fell asleep on duty tomorrow... no wait... today.

Suddenly, he froze. Somebody else was in the building. Had they had a break in? Surely not, the security was so tight, especially on these upper floors... The noises were getting closer. Clasping his electromagnetic rod tightly in his hand, he hid behind the door; listening, waiting. The noises continued to get closer. Reno couldn't believe how noisy this person was being, it sounded like whoever it was; they were having difficulties walking. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the seemingly endless flight of stairs they must have had to climb, as the elevators were locked after ten at night and didn't open again until five the next morning. The intruder suddenly started coughing violently, before falling silent.

Reno's heartbeat quickened.

"_Wait a sec; that sounded like..."_ It suddenly dawned on him who the intruder was. "Rufus!!" He called, and rushed around the corner. Rufus was leaning heavily against the wall, soaked to the bone. "Sir!!! Are you alright?" Reno ran over to the young boy, before he was swatted away.

"Get of me you imbecile... I'm fine." Rufus snapped, alcohol thick and heavy on his breath, yet his words were surprisingly clear; diction almost completely flawless. "The bloody doors wouldn't open... and I dropped my key somewhere." He muttered, patting his pockets as if expecting them to suddenly appear. Reno shuffled uncomfortably, not knowing whether to leave him to it, or help him over to his office; he looked quite unsteady on his feet. He couldn't help but notice the bottoms of Rufus' trousers were, not only soaked from the torrential rainfall outside, but filthy dirty too. Where on earth had he gone? More importantly, what place would serve him alcohol? He was too young.

"_Probably scared of the bastard, yo." _Reno thought to himself, knowing how intimidating the boy could be. He held out his arm for the Vice President to grab onto, but the scathing look he received shortly afterwards quickly prompted him to retract his offer. _"Jeeze, the kid's even scarier when he's smashed..."_

"Now, if you'll e-excuse me, I shall be in my office." He stammered ever so slightly, stumbling as he made his way across the room, leaving a puddle of water behind him.

"Sir, is there anything I can do for you, yo?" Reno enquired, ready to leap forward if he were to fall.

"Get the fuck out." Spat Rufus, opening his office door, and slamming it behind him.

Reno stood in the corridor in shock.

"_What the hell is wrong with that kid? I've never seen him like this before, yo!"_ His mind drifted back to the yelling he'd heard from the office earlier... was it because of that? It must be surely, what else could it be? But what could get Rufus so riled, that he would storm out the building, and return two hours later completely and utterly hammered? Something was up, and when it involved the Shinra family, it usually meant bad news.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, it means one heck of a lot to me. All your advice and comments are welcomed, and the more the merrier in my opinion! *grins* The language is occasionally a little strong in this one, but I'm not sure whether it's frequent enough to move this into the 'M' section, advice?! Okay, so things are going to finally start falling into place, so time for the usual disclaimers. I do not own any of these characters, Square Enix do!! If I did, I would have bothered to give the majority of the Before Crisis Turks actual names. *laughs* Anyway, enjoy.**

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Rufus sat with his head in his hands, dripping water all over his polished mahogany desk. His head throbbed and his skin burned, was he coming down with a fever? No, it was probably just too much drink. He had wandered around Midgar in the pouring rain, thinking about what his father had said, and what he had said back.

And it hurt.

"_Come on Rufus, I'm sick and tired of your stubbornness, just listen to me for once!"_

"_Why should I listen to you? You surround yourself with incompetent fools to make yourself look better, then when something goes wrong, you can easily pass the buck onto somebody else!"_

"_I hardly think that's relevant, we're not even-"_

"_No. It is relevant. You're letting your own opinion be swayed by these people, you haven't got a clue! Why should I volunteer myself to be a blasted lab rat for that second rate quack?"_

"_Lab rat? You talk as if Professor Hojo doesn't know what he's doing! The success he's had with SOLDIER is undeniable, however much you may hate the man, it doesn't stop the fact that-"_

"_SOLDIER? God, you just don't get it do you? Those experiments were specifically designed for those with a strong physical resistance to injury, they have no idea what would happen if-"_

"_Somebody as weak as you had the process performed on them?"_

_Silence._

"_Look, Rufus, all I'm saying is for you to think about it... I'm sure your mother would-"_

"_You leave her _out_ of this old man."_

"_But, Rufus, you know that she would want you to-"_

"_How would _you_ know what she would have wanted, huh? After everything you did to her, after everything you said? Do you think I'm stupid or something? Think I wouldn't have found out?"_

"_I'm not saying that, I'm saying-"_

"_You know what? Screw you..."_

"_Rufus, I-"_

"_FUCK YOU OLD MAN!!!"_

An urgent knock on the door quickly snapped Rufus out of his daydream. It was Reno, he looked worried.

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you, but you've been coughing non-stop for ten minutes now."

Rufus was suddenly aware that he couldn't breathe. He coughed violently, gasping for air. His head swam as his lungs struggled for breath. The more he coughed the worse he became, but now he couldn't stop, it was a reflex of his body's desperate struggle for oxygen.

"_Dammit."_ He thought. _"Not now... just, not now..."_

"Sir!!" Reno cried out and rushed over to him.

"H-h-h-e-" Rufus tried to speak, but it came out a choking stutter. "H-h-help m-me." He managed to force out before crouching over in pain; coughing even more violently than before. Reno rushed to his feet and ran out the room in a panic

"_Call somebody, anybody, a medic, an ambulance, anything, yo! Just do it now!"_ He thought frantically to himself. He was aware of a banging noise, he glimpsed over at Rufus who was hammering his fist firmly on the table; trying to catch his attention.

"N-not my f-father..."

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Reno stood silently in the corner of the room, biting his thumbnail anxiously. The medic had arrived in what Reno suspected must have been record time, it had probably helped that he had managed to hack into the Elevator system and override the shut-down so the doctor could come straight up without having to rush up the stairs; which probably would have put him in a worse state than Rufus was... well, nearly.

"He'll be fine, as long as he keeps warm and dry, and doesn't forget to take his antibiotics." The medic smiled, as he walked over to Reno. "Nasty attack, but it's passed now, just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything strenuous for a few weeks. I've had a chat with him, but you know how stubborn he can be, so he may need reminding every now and then. Good job you called me when you did, just a shame I hadn't found out earlier, it would have been far easier to treat, but I suppose; it can't be helped." He sighed as he made his way to the door. "I'll see myself out, just, make sure he lays off the alcohol, I don't want a call saying he needs his stomach pumped!" A chuckle escaped from Reno's lips.

"Will do, yo. Thanks again."

"No problem, keep up the good work." Reno nodded as the door shut. Three o' clock in the morning, and the harsh lights of the city still shone as brashly as ever though the out-sized window. Rufus sat on top of his desk, buttoning up his shirt after his examination. His breathing was shallow and ragged; but at least he wasn't in any more danger.

Reno had never realised how skinny the Vice President was. Without the countless layers of clothing; he seemed smaller, weaker, somehow; almost fragile.

"Is there anything I can get for you, sir?" Reno enquired, voice hushed, as if not to disturb Rufus' trail of thought.

Rufus shook his head.

"A drink of water? Or maybe you could do with a hot drink or something... I think I've finally worked out how to use that coffee machine in our office, yo. It's got so many buttons it's-"

"I'm fine, Reno." Rufus interrupted. Reno was immediately silent. Rufus' voice was not callous and harsh like it normally was, but muted and soft. "Do you know what the doctor said to me, Reno?" He croaked; voice low and hoarse from the sheer amount of coughing he'd done.

"No, sir."

"He said that if I'd left my chest infection untreated for much longer, I would have died." He tried to chuckle, but it came out as a stifled cough. Reno looked up. "Well, of course, I'm sure you know that. You're not stupid." He continued as the red head stood awkwardly by the door. "Are you... scared of death, Reno?" Rufus turned to him, frowning with candid curiosity.

"I-I guess so..." He replied, honestly. Rufus nodded at him.

"I'm not... scared of death. But I don't _want_ to die." The blonde gazed out the window; as if trying to look further than the city itself. "All my life I've been sickly, and, for once, I want a turn as the strong one. I want to be respected. I've grown up being pitied by the people around me, pitied by those I'm meant to one day _lead_."

"I don't pity you." Reno cut in, to which Rufus burst out laughing, taking Reno by surprise.

"No, I know you don't. That's why I can stand to be in the same room as you for more than five minutes without wanting to through something out of a window, namely the person in question." Reno's lips switched into a slight smile. "Yet, all those bastards I'm meant to be higher up than, always look at me with the same condescending sympathetic smirk pretending they completely understand me. Nevertheless, you know that as soon as I'm out of the room they just bitch and whinge about how 'difficult' I am, and 'oh he can't help it, he's _troubled_'. Screw that! Who isn't troubled in this damned city? Especially when they know their lives are being run by a couple of rich bastards with nothing better to do than spend their money on drink and fund ridiculous projects that solve absolutely bugger all in this godforsaken place."

"I'm sorry, but, why are you telling me all of this?" Reno asked, slightly confused. Rufus looked slightly taken aback.

"Oh. You're right. I'm sorry, I guess I just..." He began; frowning.

"No!! No!! I'm sorry! No, I was just-"

"No, don't be an idiot."Rufus shook his head. "I'm sure you've got to be up early, you ought to go home and get some sleep; you've done enough." He began ushering the Turk to the door.

"But, but-" Reno tried to protest, practically being pushed out by the Vice President.

"No, please, get some rest. I'm sure you've got a very busy day tomorrow, I know I have, so..." Rufus opened the door and gently herded him outside.

"But I-" He began, before the door shut in his face.

Reno sighed and rested his head against the large wooden frame. Just when he thought he could understand what that kid was thinking he goes and pulls a stunt like that. He couldn't understand how someone so close in age to him could have so much more responsibility. He may call the little runt a kid, but in many ways that 'kid' was far older.

Reno was suddenly aware of Rufus coughing again from inside his office.

"Right, that's it." He snapped, and stormed right back into the office, making Rufus jump in surprise. "You just can't let others help you, can you?" He yelled at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and dragging him back to his chair. "Now siddown while I get you some water, yo!" Rufus scoffed in between coughing, indignant look set firmly on his face.

"B-but, I-"

"No 'buts', yo! Just shut up, sit down, and shut the hell up!!"

"Y-you said that already..."

"And yet you still don't do it!!" Reno sighed, irritated, as he made his way to the water cooler stuck, neglected, in the corner. He filled up several plastic cups, balancing them precariously in his hands; trying not to spill any. "Now drink!" He ordered, placing them down on Rufus' desk. Rufus glowered, but did as he was told.

"That's better, isn't it yo?" Reno huffed. "Not such a stubborn little bastard after all, are you now?" Rufus choked on his drink.

"What did you just call me?" He spluttered, spilling the rest of the water down his shirt.

"Now look what you've done! You've got water all down your clean- hang on a minute, where did you get clean and dry clothes from? You were soaked to the skin, yo!" Reno cocked his head on one side, examining the Vice President's attire.

"From the bathroom." Rufus stated, pointing to a camouflaged door at the side of the room.

"You have an en suite?!" Reno cried. "Bloody hell, we've got to share that grotty little cesspit and you get your own en suite?! That ain't right, yo!" Rufus smirked softly at Reno's outrage.

"Why not bring it up at the next meeting?" Rufus sang mockingly, voice returning. Reno wrinkled his nose but ignored the quip.

"Right, wait there." He commanded and walked over to the door, which opened with a sharp kick.

"What are you doing?!" Rufus yelled after him.

"Investigating, yo! That's part of my job isn't it?!" Reno's voice called out from the room. "I'm seeing what else you've got stashed in here!"

"It's none of your business what's in there! Get out!!!"

"Aha!!"

"GET OUT!!!" Rufus exclaimed, trying to get up, but his legs proceeded to buckle underneath him.

"Jeeze, be careful, yo!" Reno called back, exiting the bathroom clutching an armful of thick blankets.

"What the hell have you got there?" Rufus spat, climbing back onto his desk, half swinging his legs like a little boy. Sulk fixed firmly on his face.

"Blankets, yo! It's still chucking it down with rain outside, and if you're going to be stubborn enough to nearly choke to death because you didn't want your father finding out, then I don't think you're going to want to call for private transport and have the tab sent to him. " Reno knew for a fact that Rufus never carried money on him except for a few coins; he was too careful with money. "And there's no way in hell you're walking home, you nearly caught your death last time, yo!"

"So, what? You're proposing I sleep _here?!"_ Rufus sneered. Reno threw a blanket at him.

"If you're so against the idea, why were all these in a cupboard?" He smirked as Rufus blushed crimson, a stark contrast to his white clothes. "So, you just make yourself comfortable, yo, and I'll sleep outside, so I can wake you up before anyone arrives, nobody has to know, 'kay?" He explained, picking up a single blanket for himself, before heading out the door.

"Reno." He turned to face Rufus, who was standing, clutching the blankets tightly, like a small child. The glow of the city behind him made him look even paler than normal and his eyes glisten like small pools of water; lost in the harshness of reality. Reno turned to him in silence, eyebrows raised in wait.

"Thank you."

"No problem, yo." He smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Disclaim! I do not own these chars, Square Enix do!! You cannot sue me :P Thanks again to everybody who has reviewed so far. Your comments really mean a lot to me, and motivate me to keep on writing :) Hope you're enjoying it so far.**

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"Ew, what is it?"

"I dunno, let's kick it, and see what it does!"

"Ew, Legend! Don't! It might have germs!"

"Pfft, it stinks of cigarette smoke."

"Err... Legend... that's you."

"And beer."

"Again... you."

"Oh! Quick it's waking up!"

"Ssssh! It'll hear you!!"

Reno opened his eyes, vaguely aware of the voices around him. His eyes were filled with sleep, and the morning light stung his eyes. As his vision slowly shifted into focus; he jumped. Shotgun and Legend were bent over him, gazing intently at his face.

"Well, good mornin', sleepy head!" Shotgun grinned. "We didn't know whether to wake you or not, so we left you for a while... but Verdot's gonna arrive soon, an' if you're not ready, there'll be hell to pay!" She giggled. Reno groaned as he glanced at the clock, it was half past six in the morning, an hour later than the time he was meant to be ready by. His blanket was twisted awkwardly around his ankles; he must have kicked it off while he was asleep.

"_Sleep? How on earth did I fall asleep on this floor? It's as hard as hell, yo!"_

"Dude, he's gonna kill you. I suppose at least you musta got your paperwork done, eh?" Legend smiled as he lit another cigarette. Reno's stomach flipped. "You_ have_ finished the paperwork right?"

"Well..." Reno began, slowly making his way to his feet. "Let's just say I'm expecting to be working double shifts this week." He sighed, glancing over at the incomplete files on his desk.

"Jeeze man, that sucks. I was hoping we could go to a bar or something this week." Legend puffed a small circle of smoke into Shotgun's face, making her cough.

"Dude, we always go to bars, yo. I've gotta do my job."

"Man, you take this job thing too seriously sometimes, it's only to pay the bills right?" Legend offered Reno a cigarette, to which he gratefully accepted.

"Yeah, that means a lot coming from you 'Legendary Turk'; you've got women falling at your feet! You could do absolutely shit all and not get any stick for it."

"Hey that's not true! I worked hard for that title."

"Yeah, shoving a few bombs here and there, that's real hard work mate." Reno muttered, fag hanging precariously out his mouth. Legend just laughed.

"Not my fault the people love me, eh Shotgun?" The ginger haired man nudged Shotgun gently, but still nearly managed to push her over.

"Hmm, that's debatable... Anyway, Reno, what are you doing here? Did you try and get here early or something?" She enquired.

"Nah, I bet he had a woman over, eh, didn't you buddy?" Legend laughed, leaning against his desk, dark sunglasses shimmering in the early morning light. Reno raised his eyebrow.

"Nah I had a Ru- paperwork to finish, I guess I must have lost track of time and fell asleep, yo."

"On the floor? Weirdo." Legend scoffed but smiled at the red head all the same. The two were good friends, never letting their rivalry become anything more than playful teasing. They often took their smoking breaks together, and would come back with some far fetched story to dupe some of the more gullible members of the Turks into believing; usually Knife or Nunchaku.

"Do you both really have to smoke so early in the morning?" Shotgun wrinkled her nose.

"The first ones are always the best, yo." Reno grinned, but moved away from her nonetheless. Shotgun was a laugh to be around, she was a bit of a show-off, but that meant that she was always up for some of the tricks they'd play on the others. Regardless of her persona, not one of them would want to be at the other end of her weapon. When it came down to it, she was damn good at what she did; and everybody respected that about her.

"Well, you stink."

"Thanks, and you're ugly." Reno teased, narrowly dodging Shotguns stapler that she proceeded to throw at him.

"Hey Shotgun, we ought to go check out the lift system." Legend tapped Shotgun on the shoulder.

"What? Why?" Reno asked, taking a long drag.

"Oh, we came in this morning and the lifts were already operating, normally we have to sign in for them to work; somebody must have overridden it, but nobody else has arrived yet." Reno gulped.

"Oh! That, yeah, I was, erm, well, the deal is-" He began, frantically trying to think up a valid excuse for his hacking antics. Legend probably would have found it 'cool' if he knew he'd managed to hack the system, but that would mean that he'd have to explain the whole Rufus collapsing on him thing.

"Good morning, Turks."

"Oh Rufus!" Shotgun smiled. "We didn't know you were here, what are you doing in so early?" Rufus shot a quick glance at Reno, who just stood with his mouth hanging open, cigarette balanced carefully on his lower lip.

"Well, since I'd been away, I wanted to try and catch up with everything I'd missed out on. If you can all put in extra hours, then why can't I?" Rufus walked over to the coffee machine, and began pressing buttons as if he actually _knew_ how to work the damn thing.

"Yeah, but that's different, innit?" Legend grinned, "You're Shinra's son, you don't have to-"

"Work hard?" Rufus quipped. The three Turks shifted awkwardly.

"Nah, that's not what I meant-"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I-I..."

"Next time you feel like disrespecting your superiors, make sure you have a valid argument beforehand." Rufus sipped his cup of coffee, freshly 'machined'.

"Yes, sir." Legend sulked slightly. He usually liked Rufus... as long as he was being derisive to people like Heidegger and Scarlet, whom he _didn't_ like. Reno suddenly noticed Rufus' breathing start to falter slightly.

"_The cigarettes...dammit."_

"Hey Legend, put it out, yo." Reno called over to the Turk, extinguishing his own in his special "_I threw up at Gold Saucer_" ashtray.

"Huh? What's the big deal all of a sudden? I wasn't finished."

"Just put it out, Shotgun doesn't like it." Reno tried to think of an excuse that wouldn't lead to him being yelled at by Rufus.

"I'm not that bothered by it." Shotgun shrugged. Reno could have hit her.

"See, she's fine!" Legend protested. "It's a pleasure of mine, don't deny me my love!"

"Put it out, yo!" Reno yelled.

"Jeeze, alright, alright! Don't get your goggles in a twist!" Legend whinged; practically throwing his cigarette in his _'Mako love, not war' _ashtray. Rufus stood expressionlessly by the coffee machine, sipping his drink in silence. Shotgun looked awkwardly at Legend, shrugging her shoulders.

"So, I heard that Two Guns was off to Junon today with the others, does this mean you're going to be stuck inside the office all day?" Rufus smirked, knowing how much they hated office work.

"Nope, we've gotta go out to Kalm; Verdot's trying for a big recruitment drive for SOLDIER. Though what he expects us to find in Kalm I have _no_ idea. Tseng reckons there's something fishy going on and I reckon the whole SOLDIER thing is just an excuse for us to go and intervene." Shotgun explained.

"Something... fishy?" Rufus frowned.

"Yeah, something about another Anti-Shin-Ra group. Hell, they're popping up everywhere, but, they're easily enough to sort out. They're usually just a bunch of people with big mouths but no backbone; follow the crowd, that sorta thing." Legend moaned, scratching his head. "Man, it's annoying."

"Better than being stuck in an office all day." Rufus noted with another mouthful of coffee, gently flicking his hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, better than being- oh." Legend began, before realising what Rufus had to put up with everyday. Being stuck inside four walls was something he hated; he couldn't imagine how cell-like the Vice President's office must feel like to him. No wonder he always jumped at the chances of business trips."

"Will you be okay, sir? By yourself?" Reno asked, before immediately regretting it.

"Of course, it's not as if the normal buffoons aren't here. I'm hardly by myself with them leeching the aptitude out of the atmosphere." Rufus sniffed, usual heartless tone to his voice back in full force. "Anyway, I've got plenty to do. I've got to organise a meeting with Professor Hojo."

"Hojo?" Reno scoffed. "What the hell have you got to do with _Hojo?_"

"I think you'll find that's none of your business." Rufus snapped back.

"Fine, yo. We'll be off then."

"See ya later, sir!" Shotgun smiled and Legend mock saluted as they made their way to the elevator area; pushing and shoving all the way.

Rufus sighed, as he picked up the book that was lying on Reno's desk. Making his way to his office, he got out his cell phone and dialled.

"_LOVELESS, eh?" _He thought to himself as the phone connected the call. _"Hardly the reading material I would have expected..."_

Click.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Professor Hojo, good morning to you. I was wondering whether I could have a chat."

In Hojo's office, a wry smile slowly spread across the scientists face.

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**Reno: Hey there folks! Just a quick note to say that smoking is NOT big and NOT clever, so, don't do it, yo! Otherwise me and Legend will come and beat you up! That's right; we know where you live, yo!**

**Author: Stop it with the ad lib! Just say what I told you to!**

**Reno: _ Fine. Smoking is bad. Don't do it... blah blah blah.**

**Author: Sound serious dammit!**

**Reno: How can I when everybody is laughing at me? They know what happened the last time I tried to give up smoking, yo! The Sector 7 plate happened, that's what! CHILDREN AND PUPPIES DIED PEOPLE!!!**

**Rufus: In other words, when trying to give up smoking, please seek professional help. You can't kill Vice Presidents with second hand smoke, but other people can be harmed by it... just, not me. You can't kill me. I'm invincible.**

**Reno: And remember, folks! Mako love, not war!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! The plot has arrived! Throw out the red carpet and get some popcorn people! I think I've finally managed to plan this out roughly in my head now and decided how I'm going to end it, but normally when I say that, I end up forgetting everything, so I better write as quick as possible, yo! *grins* Hope you're all still enjoying it! All characters are copyright to Square Enix.**

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"_You're certain this is what you want to do, now?" Hojo smirked, glasses glinting in the sterile light of the laboratory._

"_Yes. If I don't, there's a good chance I'll die before the old bastard retires, and I'm not about be outlived by a morbidly obese fool such as him. I shan't give him the satisfaction." Rufus inspected the machines that he'd been hooked up to; measuring his vital statistics._

"_You talk as if he doesn't care about you."_

"_He doesn't. But it would cause him trouble if I were to die, that's the only reason he wanted me to have the procedure done."_

"_Believe what you will. It doesn't affect me either way." The scientist sniffed, examining Rufus' blood sample and making notes on his clunky computer._

"_Does it... hurt?" Rufus enquired._

"_Why? Are you afraid?" Hojo laughed patronisingly. Rufus glowered at him._

"_Don't be ridiculous. I was just curious as to what to expect." He snapped, removing the blood pressure monitor from around his arm and chucking it on the floor. Hojo continued to smile._

"_Whilst it varies from person to person, it's safe to assume that you will be in a great deal of pain."_

"_Blasted sadist." Rufus muttered._

"_I'm simply doing my job; is it so wrong for me to enjoy it?" Hojo huffed, getting out numerous packets of needles._

"_Well, when it's a case of Mako Exposure; yes. I think it's safe to say it is." Rufus sighed as the scientist connected him up to several wires and tubes. He shivered, it was cold in the laboratory, and due to the sheer amount of wires he needed in him; he was required to take his shirt off. Not something he particularly enjoyed, especially as it gave Hojo opportunity to poke fun at his weight._

"_Not long now, I'm just readying the Jenova cells." Hojo explained, pushing various ominous looking buttons._

"_Wait- Jenova cells?" Rufus exclaimed. "No, I'm not having Jenova cells, just the basic Mako exposure." _

"_Why, my dear boy! If you're getting one done, you might as well go the whole hog. Think of it as a special two for one offer." The scientist grinned manically._

"_No!" This isn't what we agreed on!" He yelled; voice full of fury. "I told you that...that I...I wanted...t-the..." His voice faltered. His eyes were growing heavy. "W-what's...going...on?" He mumbled, voice heavily slurred. He held his hand to his head, his vision was blurred and his body heavy. He glanced down at his arms; Hojo was pumping them full of strange liquids. He looked up, trying to focus, trying to stay awake. "S-sedatives?"_

"_That's right, my boy! Don't want you struggling now, do we?" _

"_S-stop it...you can't....you can't...do..." His head swam, no longer able to distinguish shapes and colours; the sedatives were powerful, and soon made their way around his small frame._

"_Shut up, why don't you? Nobody wants to hear your whinging... filthy little thing..."_

"_N-no...I didn't want.... didn't want... th-" _

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"Good job, Reno." Said Tseng; handing Rude a large, sealed file.

"Hmm..." Reno muttered.

"No, really! You did a really good job today; you and Rude are quite a team. Verdot was very impressed with the results you obtained." Rude frowned behind his trademark sunglasses.

"What happened the days where we just recruited for SOLDIER and stuff like that, yo? Administrative Research an' all. That's meant to be our job, not... not this..." He sighed, scrubbing the blood off his hands. "This company is getting sleazier by the second."

"Then quit. Nobody is forcing you to do anything." Shotgun muttered whilst cleaning her weapon, which was now splattered with blood. Reno glowered at her.

"Shut up, yo. You know I'll always do my job. Nobody gets in the way of the Turks!" He said, thumping his chest proudly. "Screw Shin-Ra! It's the Turks I'm loyal to; nobody else."

"Regardless, you all did well. Thank you." Tseng left the room, leaving an uncomfortable tension behind. The three Turks sat in silence, contemplating the day's events.

"Dammit, that's it, I'm smoking." Reno snapped, and began frantically patting down his suit. "Where the hell are they, yo?" He grumbled, checking every pocket. "Where's Legend? He's bound to have some."

"I think he got jumped by a bunch of admirers in Kalm, he's hiding out in a bar somewhere." Shotgun grinned, knowing how much Legend hated the attention he got, however much he pretended to wallow in it.

"Damn." Reno muttered, searching his desk. "Where the hell did I put the- oh." He hesitated, suddenly realising the only other place he could have left them.

"What's the matter?" Rude glanced over, sensing his partner's sudden anxiety.

"Oh, it's nothing; I think I left them..." He trailed off, going over to Rufus' office door. "Yo, Rufus! Sir? You there?" He knocked.

No answer.

"Ah, is he ignoring you again?" Shotgun grinned cheekily.

"No, he- Yo, sir! Open up!" He yelled again, knocking louder this time. Why wasn't he answering? Surely he should have been reprimanding him right about now. "YO RUFFY!" He yelled the one thing that always wound him up.

No answer.

"Could he be somewhere else?" Rude asked, disliking how unsettled Reno was.

"Not when he knew we'd be out most of the day, he wouldn't want to risk running into Heidegger or Scarlet; you know how much hassle they give him." Shotgun shrugged, not understanding why it was such a big deal; but not that concerned to ask why. Reno tried the door.

It was unlocked.

"Huh, that's weird." Shotgun frowned, placing her weapon down on her desk, and inspecting the door. "It wasn't broken into, he _actually_ left it unlocked...that's unlike Rufus, you know how paranoid he is about privacy." Rude stood motionless by his desk.

"Perhaps it would be best if we waited until he got back." He noted. Reno shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine, he was probably in a hurry and just forgot. He's terrible when he gets an idea in his head; I doubt a charging flock of chocobos could stop him." Shotgun sighed, and returned to her desk, resting her feet on Martia's neighbouring counter. Reno walked into the office, scanning for his cigarettes, cravings now overwhelmed by curiosity.

"You found them?" Rude called.

"Nope, not yet, yo." Something suddenly caught Reno's eye. Sitting, quite obviously on top of his desk; was Katana's LOVELESS book that he had 'leant' Reno.

"_Huh, wonder what it's doing in here." _Reno wondered, flicking to the place where Rufus had placed an old battered bookmark.

"_My friends the fates are cruel,_

_There are no dreams,_

_No honour remains."_

Reno shook his head and closed the book. "Bloody cheerful, yo." He sighed, placing it back on the desk.

"Hey, Reno! What are you doing in Rufus' office?" Tseng voice suddenly called; Reno ignored him continuing to search, regardless of the angry tone to his superior's voice.

"Tseng, where _is _Rufus, I thought he was doing office work all day?" He heard Shotgun ask.

"Oh, according to Verdot he had to rush off on another business trip. Very sudden, but I guess when you're as important to the future of the company as he is; duty calls." Tseng sounded a bit confused, but he trusted his boss' words nonetheless. "You better get out of there Reno, if anyone catches you snooping around; I doubt they'll be that impressed."

"He's looking for his cigarettes." Shotgun rolled her eyes.

"Well, that changes everything!" Tseng muttered; voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Oh no..." Reno picked up a battered box that was partially hidden by paperwork and opened it, praying that it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Shit, his antibiotics... Hey Tseng! On a business trip did you say? Where, yo?" He rushed out, hiding the tablets in his jacket.

"No idea, it's normal for these locations to be kept secret as there are normally very important people there; you know, it's for safety."

"So, not even Verdot knew?" Tseng shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, no but-"

"Jeeze, something's up, I know it." Reno growled, irritated; paranoia slowly creeping up on him. _"There's no way Rufus would have left his pills behind, not after what he was like last night. Where is he really? And why the hell has it been covered up?"_

"Look, you may not believe me, but I _trust_ Verdot." Tseng stated, blood pressure slowly rising.

"Yeah, trust him to repeat whatever he's been told regardless of the truth, yo!" He yelled.

"Jeeze, Reno, calm down! It's not Tseng's fault!" Shotgun frowned. "I don't know why you're getting so het up. So Rufus has gone somewhere, so what? He's a big boy, he can look after himself. Weird stuff like this happens at Shin-Ra all the time; it's not a big deal. I would have thought you'd be used to it by now."

Reno stood, hands limp by his side.

"I guess... you're right. I'm sorry, yo." He mumbled, dejected. Sitting back at his desk, head in hands; he wondered whether he'd just overreacted simply because of lack of sleep and a stressful morning.

"Oh, and Reno, you left your cigarettes in the truck, I brought them back for you!" Knife entered the room, chucking Reno the practically empty packet at him; smiling all the while.

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_Somewhere in the Shin-Ra building, Rufus screamed._


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm beginning to procrastinate a little now. Bummer. I'll do my best to keep these updates regular, especially now we're getting so close to the end! Sort of. *laughs* I could have split this chapter into two, but I think it flowed better without the split, sorry it's quite long! Hope it's still readable and I hope you're still enjoying it! All characters copyright to Squeenix- I mean, Square Enix. **

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"Will he survive?"

"His body seems to be rejecting the Jenova cells, but the Mako exposure seems to have kept his condition stable. So whilst he's still terminally ill, there is a chance he'll pull through."

"There's a chance? A _chance_?" The President spat at Hojo, spittle flying everywhere. "You said this was foolproof! You guaranteed me!"

"Sir, you must realise that with every new-" Scarlet began.

"New? _New?!_ You told me you'd done this hundreds of times!"

"Yes, we have, but we have to tailor each case to the individual, and, well, your son's situation is far different from any we've had to work with before!" Hojo tried to explain, squinting at Rufus' heart rate on the fuzzy screen; it was weak, but stable.

"Scarlet told me you'd done tests weaker specimens and they'd survived!" Scarlet squirmed as Hojo glared at her.

"We have."

"Then what's the problem?!"

"Nibelheim!" Hojo shouted. "The Mako containers at Nibelheim reactor! Those were the last specimens that weak to have the process performed on them!"

President Shinra felt sick.

"B-but, they're..."

"Monsters." Scarlet stated coldly, as Rufus moaned and twitched on the metal table.

"However, your son had a much stronger will than those specimens so; I used what knowledge I had from those previous experiments, and adapted it to suit the conditions. That's what scientists do, observe and adapt!" Hojo wheezed, feeding Rufus another batch of sedatives through a drip. "He's not suffering from any of the same mutations the others did so it's safe to presume he'll be just fine!"

"Until he wakes up that is... Gya ha ha!" Heidegger chuckled.

"Boy is he going to be pissed with you. Kya ha ha!" Scarlet cackled, patting President Shinra lightly on the back before leaving the room with Heidegger, laughing all the while. The President silently glowered at Hojo.

"H-he-l-p..." Croaked Rufus, reaching out with his arm full of tubes, grasping for his father's sleeve. President Shinra took a step backwards, staying out of reach. He looked at his son, whose eyes were glowing eerily, his skin sickly in pallor, hair a mop of sweat. His limbs shook with effort and his breathing was ragged. He looked as if he were at deaths gate itself; trying to claw his way back from the afterlife. In theory, with the amount of Mako inside him; part of him was already back with the Lifestream, but, was it mind? Body? Or soul?

"What are you doing still awake?" Hojo sneered, injecting even more sedatives into the pipes he was connected to. "You often find this; sedatives and painkillers can be weakened, it can be quite difficult to get the balance right." Rufus' arm dropped to the side of the table with the sudden crack of bone against metal, eyes rolled back in his head.

"Is there anything else you can do to help him?" Shinra avoided looking at his mess of a son.

"Only let the process work it's way through him, I'd recommend he be left for a few days.."

"Days?!"

"When a specimen has such an extreme reaction, if they are simply too weak; the process usually kills them within the first few hours, or if they fight it; it can take days for the reaction to subside." Hojo tried to clarify, though he doubted this would be of any comfort to the President. "Whilst I shall check up on him every now and then, it's best if he's left well alone, otherwise he could harm himself or those around him. Remember, what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger."

"I never realised it was such a literal case."

"Your son should be right as rain; and all the stronger for it." Hojo cackled, opening the heavy door for the President to exit.

"My...son."

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"_Daddy? Daddy!" Rufus cried gleefully as he ran to greet his father. He held his arms up for his father to pick him up._

"_Not now Rufus, daddy is busy at the moment." Shinra pushed the five year old child away, continuing his conversation on the phone. Rufus pouted crossly. _

"_But Daddy, look what I made for you!" He held up a battered drawing of him on his father's shoulders, proudly coloured in his best crayons._

"_Rufus! Not now!" He snapped, snatching the paper out of his hand, and shoving it in his desk drawer._

"_Oh come on, sir, Rufus hasn't seen you in months. He's missed you terribly." Rufus' Minder smiled, ruffling the young boy's strikingly blonde hair. _

"_If you can't quite see, I'm on the phone; take him outside, this is an important call!" The President shoved Rufus away from his desk and into the arms of his Minder, who sighed heavily before leading taking the small child's hand, and leading him outside._

"_I'm sorry Rufus, but your daddy has a very important job." She tried to explain in the lift._

"_I know." Rufus stared fixedly at the floor._

"_Perhaps you can show him your drawings later? I'm sure he'd love to see them when he's less busy." The child shook his head. The lift doors opened, leading to the food court where most employees took their lunch breaks. The couple sat down on one of the tables, Rufus' chin barely coming over the top._

"_What would you like to do today Rufus?" The woman smiled. Rufus shrugged. "Come now, you must want to do something! How about we go shopping? Or would you rather visit the Chocobo ranch? You loved that last time! Perhaps a helicopter ride?" She tried enticing him with various excursions. The child simply shook his head._

"_I want to see Daddy." He mumbled, eyes slowly welling up; but no tears spilled over. The Minder sighed; she hated to see him like this._

"_I know, sweetie, but you can't right now."_

"_I want my Daddy!" He cried, turning the heads of everybody in the foyer. The woman blushed, and tried to comfort the sobbing child. She could feel the eyes of the other employees burning into her back; she knew what they said about him. They called him spoilt and rude and ungrateful. A child who had everything he wanted but still wanted more._

"_Now, now, stop those silly tears, eh?" She grinned, wiping his face with her sleeve; watery blue eyes staring back at her._

"_But...my Daddy." He hiccoughed, lip quivering. The woman took him into her arms and hugged him tightly._

"_We'll see him soon, eh? And you can tell him all about the lovely things we did, and he'll be so happy and excited. Maybe he could come with us next time, eh? Would you like that?" Rufus dug his head into her shoulder and nodded. "There we go then..."_

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Rufus screamed, and clutched his head. His entire body burned, he felt like he was on fire. He tried to get up, but his limbs got caught in the mass of wires and tubes and entangled him. He yelled in pain as they tugged at his veins, blood slowly dripping onto the sterilized table he lay upon. His vision was still blurred, but he was now able to distinguish colours and light, though the brightness of them nearly blinded him. It seemed like every cell in his body was screaming, yelling at him in anger and pain. He grasped the sides of his head to cover up his ears.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!!!" He cried, rocking back and forth, praying for the screaming to stop. He couldn't understand where these voices where coming from. He couldn't understand them, why they were so angry, so sad. He could hear them singing, laughing, crying. Every sound they made tortured him, taunted him. Tears began to spill down his cheeks, mixing with the blood and the mako.

"SHUT UP! PLEASE! IT HURTS!" I BEG YOU!! JUST PLEASE!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" He hollered, voice cracking as he wept. In his desperation, he climbed off the table; wrenching out the majority of the tubes and wires he'd been hooked up too. He screamed as they tore at his flesh, ripping his body apart. He fell to the floor; limbs too weak to support him, his knees hitting the floor with an ear splitting crack, his wrists twisted painfully as he tripped; more wires being tugged from his veins. He coughed fiercely; spitting up a vast amount of blood which splattered onto the floor. The voices continued to whisper to him, like angry flies. Rufus's small frame shook violently simply from trying to support his weight on all fours. He closed his eyes, hoping that it would all just go away.

* * *

"_Did you practice?"_

"_Yes ma'am." Rufus nodded at his Minder._

"_Good!" She smiled at him. "Then show me what you've learnt! I can't wait to hear it!"_

_Twelve year old Rufus sat down at the grand piano, frowning at the sheet music that stared back at him. He swallowed, trying to control his nerves. _

"_I-I, haven't got it quite right yet." He mumbled, making excuses before he'd even started. "So, just, remember that, okay?" He gulped, and began to play._

_He stumbled at first, making errors where he shouldn't have, the piece of music was comparatively simple as far as technicality was concerned when in comparison to some other pieces he'd mastered, but the thing he struggled with most was putting the emotion into the music. He panicked when trying to 'feel' the piece of music, something his Minder found as easy as breathing. He didn't understand how dots and lines on a piece of paper could be turned into emotion, so he couldn't portray that in his playing without ending up over thinking everything. _

_Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Rufus stopped playing immediately, frowning impatiently at the door._

"_Who is it?" He barked._

"_I'm, s-sorry to disturb you, sir. But your car is ready." A timid young housekeeper popped her head round the door, blushing exceedingly red before abruptly shutting the door._

"_You know, you shouldn't snap at people like that, it's rude!" His Minder got up and put on her jacket._

"_Why should I be polite to them?" Rufus said bitterly, gathering his belongings in his large briefcase. The woman sighed impatiently._

"_Because it's good manners, that's why! I made a promise to bring you up properly, and I won't have you pulling another one of your little sulks on me!" She grinned, pulling Rufus towards her and kissing his forehead. "I know what you get like, and it's destructive thinking. I shan't have you behaving that way. You must learn to be a little more patient."_

"_Patient?" He spat, pulling away from her. "I've been waiting around all my life, and where has that got me? Nowhere!"_

"_Anything that's worth having is worth waiting for! And don't you forget it! There are no quick fixes to everything! You've got to work hard, be a good person, and you'll be rewarded for it."_

"_I don't know why you're rambling on about this; you know I'll ignore you." Rufus jested, letting a small smile briefly touch his face._

"_You know, you should smile more often, you've got a lovely face, it's a pity you sulk all the time; you don't half look ugly when you do." She teased back, gently pushing him as they walked down the corridor to the car waiting outside._

"_S-sir, your transport." The young girl from earlier opened the heavily armoured car door for him to climb inside._

"_Thank you." He mumbled, ignoring the shocked look on the girls face._

"_You know, I think you just gave that girl an heart attack." His Minder winked at him, climbing in after him, who was briefly followed by the housekeeper who sat silently in the front seat. "So, how do you feel about being given the official title of Vice President then, Rufus?" She smiled, as the car began its journey to Midgar. Rufus shrugged._

"_I don't know. I always knew I'd take over the company one day, so, it doesn't seem like much difference to me."_

"_I suppose you're right, calling a winning Chocobo 'Winner' doesn't change anything except it's title, if it was going to win anyway; what's the point?"_

"_Must you relate everything to Chocobo racing?" Rufus laughed._

"_Ah, what can I say? I love a flutter at Gold Saucer." She grinned._

"_You know you should be more careful with your money." _

"_I know, but if I hadn't got into debt, then I never would have taken the job of looking after you now would I? Everything happens for a reason, that's my belief!" _

"_Your logic is terrible."_

"_Why thank you, so is your piano playing." She joked, knowing full well that he had a talent for it; even if he was slightly robotic and tense at times._

"_Hey, I've got better, I haven't been learning that long!" He whined._

"_I was only teasing, sweetie. You know I think you're very good. You certainly picked up your mother's musical talent."_

"_My mother played the piano?"_

"_Oh yes, she was incredible. She could take any piece of music, and play it note for note, as if she had written it herself. She could sing as well! Why, when I was her housekeeper, she'd often try to persuade me to sing a duet with her, I can tell you, nothing cleared the room faster!" She laughed._

"_Now I know that's not true, I've heard you sing, you've got a lovely voice!" _

"_Not compared to your mothers, she truly had a voice of an angel, such a wonderful woman, such a shame she-" Her voice trailed off into silence._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Why on earth are you apologising?" She exclaimed._

"_It's my fault." He mumbled._

"_Who on earth told you that?! Of course it's not your fault she died! What on earth gave you that idea?!" She yelled, completely furious._

"_My...father."_

"_Whatever that old coot said you ignore him, do you hear me? It is not your fault she died! Your mother had always had a weak constitution ever since she was a child; it was just bad luck she died giving birth to you. You mustn't blame it on yourself."_

"_But if I-"_

"_Enough! You can't dwell on past mistakes, it'll stop you from looking forward to the future! Your mother died doing a wonderful thing; bringing such a lovely little boy into the world, and you can do her proud by taking pride in the fact that you're her son!" She fumed, eyes wild with rage._

"_Yes ma'am." _

"_And will you stop calling me ma'am? Since when have you ever had to be formal around me?"_

"_I'm sorry, my father-"_

"_Has been brainwashing you again?" She sighed. "Don't you dare repeat this, but whilst your father is a good businessman, he's not the best parent in the world." She glowered, seething at her employer's stupidity._

"_Understatement, much?" Rufus huffed. "He'd better not be in another bloody meeting."_

"_Watch your language."_

_

* * *

  
_

Rufus stumbled blindly around the Shinra corridors, leaving a trail of blood behind him. His head was so hazy, he had no idea where he was, or where he was going, he simply carried on walking; walking until he could walk no further.

* * *

"_Now, when we go in, try to smile. I've had enough of you sulking when we visit your father."_

"_Why should I make an effort when he doesn't?"_

"_Manners! Prove that you're the bigger person." _

"_Is that another quip at my height?" Rufus glowered at her as she giggled uncontrollably. _

"_No it wasn't, but glad to hear you've gotten over it." She winked._

"_We're approaching the building, sir," Called the driver from the front seat. "I'm afraid you'll have to walk from here."_

"_It's fine, I am actually capable of moving by myself believe it or not."_

"_Sure you don't want me to give you a piggyback, Ruffy?" His Minder chuckled as he chucked his briefcase at her. _

_The car pulled to a stop._

"_Right, best behaviour now!" She poked Rufus in the shoulder._

"_Only if you are too." He grinned._

"_Oooh, tough one." She giggled back at him. The housekeeper got out of the front seat, and opened the door for him as usual. Somebody coughed._

"_Erm, excuse me, but could you step aside?" Rufus asked the girl, who was blocking the exit, staring intensely at him. _

_Suddenly, the girl fell into his lap, lifeless. Rufus screamed as blood dripped from the back of her neck onto his suit._

"_She's dead! She's dead!!" He yelled, eyes wide in horror. The cough had been a silencer._

"_Rufus! Shut the door now!!" His Minder screamed at him. Rufus sat there in shock, heart pounding against the flesh of the motionless housekeeper. "RUFUS!" She screamed again._

"_S-she's dead..." He breathed, not realising the danger he was in._

"_Dammit." The woman leant over Rufus and dragged the girl onto the floor so she was able to slam the door. "Get down Rufus! And stay there!" She pushed his head to the ground, so he was face to face with the corpse; eyes large and unblinking, still staring at him. He shuddered, whimpering softly as he watched the blood run down her face, into her eyes and mouth._

"_Driver, call the Turks immediately, we've got a situation." She called up the front._

"_Yes, Ma'am. Right away." _

"_Blast these Anti-ShinRa groups. Extremist pigs." She muttered, pulling out a pistol from her jacket. She went to get out._

"_No! Don't leave me! Please!" Rufus sobbed, clutching her ankles as he lay awkwardly on the floor._

"_I'm sorry sweetie, but you're going to have to wait to see your dad just a little longer." She smiled at him, ruffling his hair._

"_No!" He wept, as she exited the car._

_Rufus screamed as gunfire echoed in his ears, shattering the windows of the car, spraying glass all over him._

"_No. No. Please no. Please be alright." He sniffed, tears streaming down his face. "She's going to die, they're going to kill her, and then they're going to kill me." He mumbled to himself, breathing rapidly in blind panic. "No! I can't let them kill her! I can't! Not after everything she's done for me!" He murmured, glancing frantically around the car. He noticed a shotgun on the seat next to the driver, who was speaking urgently into the phone, bleeding heavily from the shoulder; caught by a stray bullet._

_Rufus snatched the weapon off of the seat and kicked the door open._

"_Rufus, no!" The driver called, but was incapacitated to do anything about it as the child clambered out of the car._

_Three men in black masks stood around the car, each with a large rifle, two more men lay dead on the floor at his Minders feet, pistol in hand. Rufus quickly took aim and fired the shotgun at one of the men. The recoil from the huge gun made him fall backwards, hitting his head on the side of the car. The bullet missed its target; hitting the gunman's foot instead._

"_You fucking little bastard!" The man swore, taking aim with his rifle._

"_Rufus! No!" His Minder called out, turning round._

_Rufus closed his eyes, waiting for the gunshot; waiting for the pain, the emptiness. _

_The gunshot came, but the pain didn't, only warmth. He dared to open his eyes._

_His Minders smiling face greeted him, arms wrapped around his tiny frame. Rufus smiled._

"_Y-you-" He began, then all of a sudden the woman threw up vast amounts of blood onto him, face contorted in pain. "No!" He gasped, as she slumped to the floor. "NO!" He screamed._

"_And now for you, you little brat; time to return to the Lifestream you and your daddy been killing." The gunman grinned wildly, pointing the barrel of the gun at the bloodstained boy's forehead. Rufus sat trembling, frozen with fear, clutching the body of his beloved carer. _

_Gunfire._

"_Not today." A deep voice called out, as the remaining gunmen fell to the ground, unmoving. "Rufus? Are you hurt?" The voice asked him._

_Rufus sat shivering, eyes fixed on the spot where the gunman once stood._

"_Rufus? Are you hurt?" The voice repeated, footsteps drawing closer._

"_What's wrong with him? Is he injured?" Another voice queried._

"_No, I think he's just in shock." The original voice replied._

"_Verdot, should I call an ambulance?"_

"_It's...it's too late." Verdot sighed, as he checked the pulse of the woman lying in Rufus' arms. "Rufus? Can you hear me?" He squatted, so he was eye to eye with the boy. "Can you answer me Rufus?"_

"_She's...she's dead." He breathed; eyes unblinking._

"_I know, I'm sorry Rufus, I truly am. But we need to get you somewhere safe, okay?"_

"_She's dead...she, protected me."_

"_I know, come on now, let go of her."_

"_No." He said, voice suddenly firm, hands grasping her jacket tightly. "No, I won't." _

"_Rufus, you need to let go of her. Do you understand?" Verdot placed his hand on Rufus' shoulder._

"_No! Get off me!! I won't let go!!" He yelled, tears streaming down his face. "GO AWAY!" He buried his face in his Minder's shoulders, her smile cold and empty. "She said we'd all go to the Chocobo ranch together!! She said so!! She can't be dead! SHE CAN'T!! SHE CAN'T!!" He sobbed._

"_Rufus..."_

"_I love you." Rufus muttered, wiping the blood off her face with his sleeve. "I love you so much... and I never told you. I never said thank you, not once. T-that's bad manners. I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... Why didn't I listen? Why did you have to go? You can't leave me by myself...you can't. Who'll teach me piano and good etiquette? Who'll keep me company? Who else can I talk to? You can't leave me alone! YOU CAN'T! I LOVE YOU!"_

"_Rufus...she's gone." _

_

* * *

  
_

Reno sat at his desk, trying to stop himself from falling asleep.

"Damn paperwork, when will they ever give it a rest, yo?" He muttered, cursing under his breath. He was incredibly sleep deprived, and in dire need for a cigarette; so he was in an incredibly bad mood. The others had left hours ago, leaving him to suffer alone. The air conditioning mumbled and whirred, slowly winding the Turk up. "When will they fix that damn thing?" He grumbled, getting up and kicking the air vent next to the coffee machine. "Ah dammit!" He cried as the noise simply got louder and more erratic.

"_Right, that's it, I can't work with that racket._" He thought, following the piping out of the room and down the corridor, making his way to the control centre to shut it off. He walked along with his eyes to the ceiling, running his hand along the metal pipe work through the maze of corridors.

Suddenly, he felt his shoes step in something...sticky. He glanced down, and went as white as a sheet.

"Blood?!" He cried, and glanced around. The entire corridor was splattered with blood, whilst as the trail went on, the amount of blood decreased; whoever it was must be in bad shape. He sprinted along the hallway, EMR in hand, ready for whatever he might find at the other end.

But nothing prepared him for what he saw.

Lying half naked, slumped against a laboratory door; was Rufus, covered in blood and a mass of wires.

"R-Reno?" He croaked, looking up at the stunned Turk through his matted hair; blue eyes shimmering curiously from the influence of Mako.

"Rufus!" Reno rushed over to the Vice President; who was definitely _not_ on a business trip.

"I-I, forgot to take my antibiotics t-today."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, but I've been quite unwell (again *laughs*) and have been unable to write. Anyway, this is the last chapter, but there will be a short epilogue. So, I have seven chapters for a Final Fantasy VII fan fiction ;) How cool am I? *winks***

**Disclaim: All characters belong to Square Enix.**

**Please read and review if you're not one of the wonderful people who have so far! I try to take in all comments and suggestions people have as it will help me improve; allowing me to write better and allowing you to read something half decent ;)**

**

* * *

  
**

"Rufus!" Reno gasped, running over to his aid.

"Y-you're up late." Rufus mumbled, trying to get to his feet; but his legs gave way and he fell back on the floor, legs bent awkwardly underneath him.

"Shut up, yo. Look at you! You're a mess? What happened?" He cried, in shock at the state his Superior was in. "Who did this to you? I'll kill 'em yo!" He crouched down so he was eye to eye with Rufus, before being swiftly pushed backwards onto the floor.

"Get off... I did this, to... myself..." He croaked, trying to hold himself upright with his shaking limbs. Reno stared in disbelief; what on earth had happened? He glanced at the mess of tubes and wires; and the strange glow in Rufus' eyes.

"Mako?" He muttered. Rufus glared. "Dammit, yo. Why'd you do that to yourself? We've got to get you up and fixed. We don't want you bleeding on our good carpet do we, yo?" Reno tried to joke his way out of what seemed to be an impossible situation. Why would Rufus put himself through that, especially when the odds of his survival were so slim? And what was he doing wandering the corridors in such a state? Reno squat down besides Rufus again and went to pick him up.

"What on _earth_ do you think you're doing?" He snapped, breathing jagged but it still held the same amount of malice as normal. _"Good sign."_ Reno thought.

"Taking you somewhere where we can get you bandaged up, yo."

"_You_ are not taking me anywhere!" He spat, powerless to resist, but doing his best to deter the Turk with words rather than action.

"Oh? And why is that then?" Reno tried to smile, as he supported Rufus' head with his hand.

"First; because I am Rufus Shinra, Vice President of Shin-Ra electric c-company." Rufus stated, as Reno placed his arms behind his neck and knees.

"Two; because I don't need your help with a-anything... I can do it on my own!" He continued, as Reno lifted him up, tucking him tightly into his chest; he was surprised by how light he was.

"Three; b-because you Turks are about as c-competent as a bunch of d-drunk monkeys. I'd be in better hands with a pack of rabid Guard Hounds!!" He finished, breathing heavily as Reno carried him along the corridors; leaving a small splattering of blood in their wake.

"Sure boss."

"And don't you forget it either." The exhausted Rufus whispered. He was glad Reno seemed to have a firm hold on him, as he wasn't sure that he'd be able to hang on as they hurried through the Shin-Ra building. All strength had seemed to be sapped from his limbs, leaving him virtually paralysed. However, the bleeding seemed to have subsided, and the pain wasn't anywhere near as severe as it was previously. Were the effects of the procedure finally helping rather than hindering? Rufus was suddenly aware of where he was; they were back at the Turks station and making their way to what was affectionately dubbed the 'Sick Shack'. It was basically a small first aid room where the Turks could be treated for minor injuries and illnesses should the need occur; it was rarely used, and when it was, mostly for sneaking crafty cigarette breaks or hiding from Scarlet and Heidegger.

"Sorry, boss, but can you hold on for a sec, yo? I need both hands to open the lock." Reno frowned, as he tried to support Rufus as he wrestled with the lock on the door. Rufus hooked his arms around Reno's neck and held on as tightly as he could, with his strength failing him; he just hoped he could hang on long enough without falling flat on his face. Just as he thought he couldn't hold on any longer; the door clicked open, prompting Reno to prop up the Vice President once more and carry him to the clinical table within.

"Wait there" Reno ordered as he placed Rufus down, and turned to search the large wall of cupboards and compartments behind him.

"Oh no... I'm running away." Rufus said dryly, Reno turned and glowered at him. "What are you looking for anyway? I think Legend keeps the beer in the draw to the right." He grinned as Reno lobbed a packet of cotton wool at him.

"Something to get those bloody tubes outta you, yo." He searched anxiously. Rufus inspected what remained of the wires in his arms.

"Huh." He muttered, wrapping his fists around the base of them.

"Right I think I've got somethi-" Reno turned around as Rufus proceeded to rip the tubes out of his veins quite nonchalantly. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Reno swore furiously as he rushed over to the blonde; arms full of bandages and gauze.

"I saved you thirty gil by you not having to sterilize those tongs." Rufus stated; pointing to the fairly lethal looking metal utensil Reno had dropped on the counter.

"Now's not the time to be thinking about money, yo!" Reno fumed, swabbing at Rufus' injuries with various antiseptics.

"It is always time to be thinking about money." Rufus winced as the chemicals stung his skin. "And look, no blood." He grinned, strangely. Reno had noticed, too, that Rufus had stopped bleeding, and some of the smaller wounds on his legs and chest had started to heal.

"Mako?" He muttered.

"Jenova." Rufus snarled, teeth glinting.

"Jenova?!" Reno exclaimed. "You had Jenova cells put inside you?! What on earth possessed you to do that, yo?!"

"It wasn't done voluntarily I can assure you." Rufus muttered, wrapping his own limbs in bandages where the worst of the damage had been done. "That damn scientist is insane." He shook his head. "I should have known he'd try and pull something funny." Reno stood in silence, trying to take it all in.

"But...why, yo?" He eventually asked. Rufus looked at him and frowned.

"Reno. I don't _want to die._"

"So you go and nearly kill yourself?!"

"Yes, because I _knew_ this was going to happen?!"

"You couldn't take an educated guess?!"

"I didn't have a choice!!"

"There's always a fucking choice!!!" Reno yelled. "Why go and get yourself killed just 'cos you want to be just that little bit stronger? Are you really that vain?!"

"You honestly think I did this because I'm _vain?!"_ Rufus spat in astonishment. "You think all the things I do are because I want to _look good?!" _Reno looked at the floor, averting Rufus' steely gaze. "You people are ridiculous; you're all the same pathetic little ass kissing weasels that assume they know everything and everyone! You all hide behind your fake fucking names and pass judgement on others from a safe distance so you can't get stung. How _dare_ you say that you know what I'm like? You don't know anything." He got up abruptly, sending the medical items scattering noisily across the floor. "Thanks for your help, but I'm fine now." He said, through gritted teeth, making his way to the door.

"Rufus...I-" Reno began, before being cut off by the slamming of the door. So what if he'd made a judgement? Everybody else did. And how was he supposed to know what he was like if he was always off on business trips, or locking himself in his office all day so nobody could see what on earth he was up to? Hell, he could be funding Anti-Shinra groups and nobody would ever know! Reno sighed.

"_I should really go after him, he's still quite badly hurt, and if he's had a reaction to those Jenova cells, who knows what could happen? Damn stubborn brat." _He stashed the remainder of medical supplies into a drawer and ran out after him.

"Yo, boss. Come on now, let's just- what the hell are you doing?"

"Just...looking." Rufus was hunched over Reno's desk, tapping the keyboard frantically.

"For what?!" Reno cried, rushing over, trying to shield the screen.

"Not your secret porn stash don't worry, I've hacked into the mainframe to see who has logged in and out recently." Rufus smirked as Reno blushed.

"Why, yo?"

"Because I want to see if that jerk is still here, if he is... I swear I'm going to kill him." Reno laughed. "Why are you laughing? I'm serious. I'm going to get my gun, and blast his brains out."

"Hey! Just wait a second, yo! Nobody is shooting anybody! What the hell's gotten into you?" He yelled, pushing Rufus away from the computer.

"And who do you think you are, telling me what to do? Last time I checked I was your superior; you have _no_ authority to order me around. If anything, you have to take orders from _me._"

"Bollocks. It's my job to protect you, and there's not way I'm letting you do anything so dammed stupid, yo!" Reno stared the snarling Rufus in the face. "What the hell is up with you? This ain't like you, yo!"

Rufus twitched.

"Now get your act together okay? Damn..." Reno sighed and logged off the computer. Rufus sat staring at the wall; Reno was unnerved. The glow in his eyes was now brighter than ever and was swirling unnaturally; like it was alive. _"Is it the Jenova cells making him act like this? Or has he just finally lost it?"_

The pair sat in silence for a while, Reno keeping an eye on Rufus out of the corner of his eye and Rufus simply staring at the wall; as if it were going to suddenly move or talk.

Suddenly, the computer beeped.

"What's that?"

"Somebody is logging on to the mainframe." Smirked Rufus, "Ah, Scarlet no less. I wonder what she's up to this late at night! There's only so much information bugs can give you, it'll be interesting to see what she's really up to."

"Y-you... bug the place?" Reno stammered.

"Yes." Rufus stated matter of factly, before turning around in an attempt to hide his amusement. Reno blushed.

"E-even our office?!" He stuttered, going as crimson as his hair. Rufus burst out laughing. "Gimme that, yo!" He shoved Rufus to the side and looked at the computer.

_-Username: Scarlet_

_Last Login Date: Online now_

_-Username: Heidegger_

_Last Login Date: Online now_

_-Username: Verdot_

_Last Login Date: Online now_

"What the hell is Verdot doing with 'Kya ha' and 'Gya ha'?" Reno frowned at the screen. During evening hours, as a security precaution, every member of staff was required to login to the system with an identity card which then tracked what floor they were on. On the upper floors, the system upgrades to a room by room, where the person would swipe their card through every important door, rather than once in the lift. Slowly, the trio were making their way up to the upper floors, in the direction of the laboratories.

"Are they checking up on you, yo?"

"Hmm, but I shan't be there!" Rufus grinned like a child. "Come on! Let's go see!!" He cried, grabbing Reno's hand and dragging him into his office.

"Hey! Get off me, yo! You've gotta take it easy, remember?!"

"Hmm, 'kay. Just, shut the door behind you!!" Rufus practically skipped over to his desk, and sat crouched on the swivel chair, typing hurriedly into the machine. Reno huffed as he slammed the door behind him. _"One minute he's at deaths door, next he's trying to kill people, and now he's like a little kid! This is some screwed up experiment."_ He fumed, though the majority of the wounds had closed up, he still was concerned about how sickly and pale he looked, though it was hard to tell what was simply normal by Rufus' standards.

"Aaand, click!" Rufus grinned, flicking a switch under his desk and proceeding to spin around in his chair triumphantly.

"_...can't believe that he actually went through with it."_

"_Well, it was his choice?"_

"_Really? I find that incredibly unlikely, Rufus isn't someone that takes things like this lightly, he always said things like this were a bad idea and a waste of time."_

"_Verdot, must you doubt us so? Kya ha ha! The President was apprehensive about what he would say as well, and the mere suggestion of it caused quite an argument. However, Hojo told us that only the next day he received a call from Rufus, saying that he'd go through with it after all."_

"_I wonder what gave him the change of heart."_

"_Who knows, with that boy? Let's hope he's doing a bit better than he was earlier. Hojo said he was in quite a state. Gya ha ha!"_

"_I find it worrying that you two seem to be revelling in this."_

"_Kya ha ha!"_

"_I don't know why you had to drag me along with you either, Hojo was hardly clear when he phoned me up."_

"_It's just in case he's still suffering an adverse reaction."_

Rufus pulled a face and stuck his tongue out at the speakers.

"_You mean he's dangerous?"_

"_Who knows? Kya ha ha!"_

"_We'll soon find out! Gya ha ha!"_

They heard Verdot sigh irritably. Rufus giggled.

"I'm not going to be there!" He whispered, putting his finger to his lips like a little boy, hushing Reno; who nodded along with him, however uncomfortable he was feeling. "Hmm..."

"What's the matter, yo?"

"I...I don't feel very well." Rufus frowned and scratched his head.

"You wanna lie down?" He shook his head, before rushing to his feet and sprinting to the bathroom en suite to be violently sick.

"Nice." Reno shook his head, and turned back to the speakers, adjusting the volume to overshadow Rufus' retching.

"_...Damn security. How many passwords has Hojo put on this thing?"_

"_None actually, just turn the lock."_

Reno laughed.

"_So, on a top security lab, he neglected to install a pass code system?"_

"_Kya ha ha! This is Hojo remember, Verdot."_

"_Insane."_

"_Gya ha ha!"_

_Click._

Reno held his breath as the door clicked open.

* * *

Groaning, Rufus washed his face. His head was throbbing.

"_What the hell is wrong with me? How long is this damned reaction going to last?"_ He thought, cringing at the way he'd been behaving, hoping that was the end of it. _"I'm acting so pathetically, I dread to think what Reno thinks of me. How am I going to explain?" _He dabbed his face with the towel and groaned. There was next to nothing in his stomach, so he was simply bringing up acid that burnt the back of his throat.

"Rufus! Rufus, mate!! You've gotta, you've gotta come, quick, yo!" Reno yelled and launched himself into the bathroom, grabbing the shocked Rufus by the shoulders.

"What's the matter?"

"Run, then talk, okay?" Reno muttered, this time him grabbing Rufus by the hand and leading him out, grabbing a spare Turk jacket on the way.

"Reno, what is it?!"

"It's fucking 'Kya ha' and 'Gya ha', yo. When they saw you'd 'escaped' they completely flipped out, they're sending out Shinra Troops to look for you; they must think you're dangerous or something." He explained as the pair sprinted throughout the corridors. Reno prayed they wouldn't meet anybody on their way out. "I just hope we can get out the building before they catch you."

"What's the big deal? So they find me, I'll just explain that-"

"There won't be no explaining, yo. They said to shoot on sight."

"W-what?"

"They think you've turned into some sorta monster or something, yo! They kept muttering something about Nibelheim. Apparently they'd even got permission from Old Man Shinra. They've gone batshit insane; we gotta get you some place safe. You're still sick, I'm not taking any chances so I'm going to do my job and protect you, yo! There's no way you're gonna get shot, you here me?" He ranted, almost dragging Rufus along with him.

"I know." Rufus smiled, briefly. "But you're going the wrong way."

"What the hell are you on about?"

"We won't make it out the front entrance in time, they'll cut us off, and I'm not having you throw yourself in front of me like some blasted hero, okay? I'm going to die staring death straight in the face; but it's not going to be tonight."

"Then what?!"

"Follow me!"

"Where are we going?!" Reno followed Rufus throughout the maze of stairs and corridors, paths and passageways before beginning to recognise where he was. "No way!!"

"Yes way."

"You're gonna hijack a chopper?!"

"Not hijack, 'borrow'." Rufus smirked as he wrestled with the bolt on the hangar door.

"But, I can't fly!" The Turk exclaimed.

"Who said it was going to be you flying it?" Rufus grinned as he kicked the door open, just as he began to hear shouting emanating from nearby. "Come on, hurry up!"

"I was expecting you to make a 'chop chop' joke."

"Yeah so was I... Hope the Mako hasn't drained my awesome sense of humour." Rufus muttered wryly. They clambered into the nearest helicopter to the hangar exit, "Now hold on, we want to get away fast, so it may be a bit... well, you'll see." He grinned as he started the engine.

Reno clutched his seat and for the first time in his life; put on a seatbelt.

"N-now, are you sure you know what you're doing, boss?" Reno stuttered as Rufus started the engine with a roar.

"Just... hold on tight. My take offs aren't always the smoothest."

"T-that's reassuring." He strapped himself down, making sure that he was as secure as possible as the helicopter jerked off the ground. "Where are we going anyway?"

"I don't care, just, away from this damned place." Rufus snarled as he opened up the hangar roof, for them to make their exit. "And soon." He added, as gunshots spattered the back of the chopper, pinging in various directions.

They took off at quite a speed, exiting the shelter with surprising precision. Soon they were flying over Midgar, spread out below them in all its glory. The lights of the city shone brighter than the stars in the sky, glaring vividly like a vast swarm of fireflies; the buzz of the helicopter simply added to it. Reno looked around, the huge expanse of the city was so dazzling, you couldn't even see the moon overhead. It was the one thing he couldn't stand about the city; sure it was huge, but there was always that niggling feeling that you were imprisoned from the world outside; and the only way you could get away from that suffocating sense was by going on missions. Sure the travel lifestyle was stressful, but sometime you just needed to see the sky. As they sped through the air, Reno couldn't figure out whether Midgar was beautiful or not. Sure, as a structural achievement, it was spectacular, and it clearly dominated the horizon for miles around; but was it... beautiful? He tilted his head at an angle, trying to take it all in; thinking hard about it.

"You know if you think too much you'll end up hurting yourself." Rufus sighed heavily as he leant back in his seat.

"Hmm? Oh, I was just...thinking, yo."

"About?"

"Midgar." Rufus frowned.

"What about it?"

"I'm, not quite sure what I think about it to be honest."

"You'd rather be somewhere else?" Rufus somehow knew what Reno was thinking.

"No, no... I don't think so anyway, yo." Reno replied, though his voice was filled with doubt. He thought carefully; about his job, his lifestyle, his beliefs. Would he rather be somewhere else? Away from the lights, the noise, the pollution? Away from the stress and the sleaze and the uncertainty? Should he have chosen a different path to follow?

Rufus turned his head to him, examining the concentration on his face. He went to speak, but merely frowned before returning his attention to the flight of the helicopter. They were nearly out of Midgar, and could see the mountains of the Mythril Mines slowly come into sight.

All of a sudden, bullets rattled the bottom of the machine, taking them both by surprised.

"They've caught up, yo!" Reno swore under his breath, hoping they would have got away a bit more stealthily. "Damn, the bastards are well armed."

"If we can get to the mountains, they'll give us enough cover to try and sort this damn thing out." Rufus sped up, trying to dodge the bullets. There were multiple trucks following them from the ground, heavily armed with reinforced vehicles. There were also several troops stationed on the top of the vehicles; arms full of powerful machine guns and various launchers.

"Can we make it in time?" Reno asked anxiously, whipping out his mobile phone and dialling frantically.

"Not if they keep firing at us like this." Rufus could barely be heard over the sound of the guns rattling. "Can you shoot at them, Reno? There are a few guns in the back." Reno shook his head, phone clamped to his ear, praying the call would connect.

"Err, I'm a bit of a crap aim. I'm fast, but I've never been that good with ranged weapons; Verdot stuck me with my EMR for a reason, yo."

"Fat lot of good you are, then!" Rufus muttered. "Here, take the controls." He passed the controls to Reno, who looked at him in horror.

"I can't fly a fucking helicopter! I don't know how!"

"I'll tell you how, okay? But if we don't scare off some of these troops, they're going to bust something important, and we're going to explode in a mighty pretty fireball." Rufus rummaged around in a small compartment behind the seats; searching for a powerful enough weapon to be effective. "Now, take her down a little, yeah like that... No! Keep her steady...no, that button!"

Reno swore.

"Imagine you're playing a video game... except, if you cock up; there isn't a restart button, 'kay?" Rufus smiled as he picked up a hefty shotgun and a belt of ammunition. "Just, keep her like that, nice and steady... you're doing great. Just don't... don't crash."

"Jeeze, thanks, yo. That makes me feel much better." Reno croaked, shoulders shrugged up to his ears so his phone wouldn't fall. The damn thing kept on rejecting the call; he needed to get in touch with Tseng; if Verdot somehow believed Rufus had gone schizophrenic, or simply insane, Tseng was his only hope at calling off the assault. If he could rally up him and a few others, they had a chance. "Come on, man... pick up the damn phone."

Meanwhile, Rufus was leaning out the side of the chopper, taking pot shots at the troops riding on the trucks below. Fortunately for them; the distance he was shooting from, prevented any serious damage, but still inflicted quite a heavy blow. He had already taken out some of the larger launchers, and knocked out several of the grunt troops on the roofs. It would have been far more effective if they could have flown lower; but it wasn't worth the risk of taking some serious damage in return.

"Eat lead, fucktards!" Rufus yelled, rendering another truck virtually useless.

"You know, I don't approve of you using that sort of language, Rufus." Reno mocked, trying to steady the helicopter as it wobbled precariously.

"Hmph. Hypocrite." Smirked Rufus.

"Well, that's different; I'm older than y- TSENG! Where the hell have you been, yo?" Reno shouted into the phone, trying to raise his voice over the deafening conflict surrounding him. "I don't care what time it is, we've got a problem!"

"Yeah, it's called 'We're going to die'." Rufus quipped as Reno relayed the information to Tseng, reloading his gun whilst narrowly dodging a bullet.

"Shut up yo- Yeah, I know that you idiot! Verdot's gone along with it, but it's all a load of bull, you've gotta help us out." Reno continued. "What? I can't hear you... I-"

Reno's phone jerked out of his hand as a large explosion hit the tail of the helicopter.

"Shit." He snapped. "Yo Ruffy, you okay?" He called over, to an incredibly ruffled Rufus, who was clinging on to the side of the open door, shaken; but unharmed. The shotgun however, had fallen from his hands; and plummeted to the earth below.

"Bastards... they've hit the tail." What little colour he had quickly drained out of Rufus' face.

"What?! What's that mean?!"

"It means we're going to crash you _idiot_! We need to make an emergency landing." Rufus scrambled to his feet, chucking the remaining ammunition overboard. He clutched his side, which was badly bruised, and began checking all the electrics for damage. He swore under his breath and turned to the back of the aircraft. Sparks flew out of the back, as Rufus desperately tried to patch up some of the more important components.

"What?! I can't land this thing! I don't know how!"

"I'll _tell_ you how. Just, try and land it the other side of that mountain, we should be safe there for a while. Just, listen up, okay?!" Rufus waved his hand at the ominous looking peaks that now surrounded them, as he continued to work on the broken equipment. If he could keep it in the air long enough for Reno to get a clear shot at landing, they might be in with a chance. The road below had become increasingly rocky and narrow, so that gave them a slight advantage; as the barrage of trucks were forced to slow right down.

"O-okay, I'll try." Reno gulped and grasped the controls tightly with both hands. _"Focus...just, focus."_

"First of all, press the yellow button next to the controls, which should stabilize it so you can focus more on manoeuvrability rather than keeping it steady." Rufus began talking Reno though the process. "Now ease off on the power, keep an eye on the dial to your left, and make sure you've got the balance right; if the needle goes into the red, ease off a little okay?" Reno nodded. "Steer it into position, make sure you've got enough clearance; then release the three switches on your right. Then just ease her in."

The helicopter jerked violently as Reno wrestled with the controls, the mountains were scattered with sharp rock formations that made manoeuvring almost impossible. As the helicopter was about to land, the battered tail suddenly fell off, tipping the chopper completely off balance. Reno couldn't control it, and they were sent crashing into the face of the cliff.

* * *

"Ugh...R-Rufus?" Reno muttered, clutching his head and opening his eyes.

"I-I'm okay." A weak voice piped up from the back. "How about you?"

"A little beat up but... all my limbs are still attached; so that's a bonus." Reno heard Rufus chuckle.

"Oh yes, of course." Rufus wiped the blood from his eyes, he had smashed his head into the weapons compartment when they crashed, but it didn't seem to hurt.

"I think, you may need a new helicopter..." Reno kicked some of the debris off of him, freeing his legs.

"I think I'm going to stick with cars for a while. I hate flying." Reno laughed as Rufus pulled a face.

"Then how did you know how to fly?" He grinned.

"Because you never know when it's going to come in handy..." Smirked Rufus, rubbing his stiff neck. "So what do we do now?"

Reno frowned.

"I guess we wait. Wait and hope that Tseng finds us before the others do. He said he was on his way but..." He trailed off, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rufus heaved himself off the floor, and clambered onto the chair next to Reno's, putting his feet up on the remains of the dashboard.

"I will admit, considering we're stranded in a helicopter with God knows how many troops searching for us; we've got a damn nice view." He muttered.

Through the cracked windscreen, they could see for miles. Midgar looked almost small in the distance, and the rolling countryside seemed to dominate over the pollution of the city. They could see billions of stars in the sky, blinking at them from hundreds of thousands of miles away.

"Yeah, even Midgar looks pretty tonight." Reno mumbled, smiling to himself.

"I guess, there's beauty in everything; even if you don't always understand why." Rufus noted.

"Heh that sounds like something Katana would say. Been spurting on about LOVELESS for weeks."

"_Even if the morrow is barren of promises_

_Nothing shall forestall my return."_ Rufus recited, to which Reno raised an eyebrow.

"Pfft. Typical." He smirked.

"What?"

"Just... you never give up do you? No matter what shit you drag yourself through, you always come back." He frowned at the Vice President, who looked incredibly worse for wear.

"I can't give up. I just... I just can't. I dunno, maybe I should." Rufus sighed, rubbing his eyes; exhausted.

"Don't you dare." Reno snapped. "If you give up I swear I'll come and beat the crap out of you." Rufus looked taken aback.

"Why are you so bothered?"

"I know it don't seem like it sometimes, yo; but a lot of people look up to you. You may be an annoying little ass, but we've gotta give you some credit, eh? Don't make us lose what little respect we had for you."

"But, you're all the same; you never give up either. You always follow orders; don't you ever get sick of it?"

"Course we do. You'd be insane if you didn't. But it's our job yo, and we love what we do; even if it does get tough sometimes..." He shrugged. "So why are you so stubborn?"

"I...I don't know." Rufus admitted. "At first, I think it was just to prove a point that I was actually capable of doing a good job...but, I'm not sure anymore. Maybe I'm just being stubborn for the sake of it?" Reno shook his head.

"It's gotta be more than that, yo."

"I don't know. I...guess it ended up being...that I put so much of my life into it, if I gave up now, I'd have nothing left. This is the only reason for my existence."

"Bullshit." Reno sniffed.

"What?" Reno glared icily.

"That's bullshit yo."

"It's true. What the hell do I have left if I don't have the company? Nothing." He avoided Reno's gaze as his eyes watered up, he couldn't stand people seeing him upset.

"You've...you've got us." Rufus looked up, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"What?"

"You've got us, yo. We're not going anywhere, no matter what you do."

"But, you all hate me." Reno looked surprised.

"Hate you? Were did you get that from?" Rufus looked at the floor, eyes half closed in sadness, trying to stop more tears spilling over. "Jeeze, sure we give you a hard time, but that doesn't mean we hate you, yo!" Reno laughed and gently clouted Rufus' shoulder. "And it's not as if you don't give us a hard time either, eh?" He grinned, cheekily.

"I'm...sorry." Rufus muttered.

"Whoa, whoa. Where'd that come from, yo? Since when did Rufus Shinra, Vice President of Shin-Ra Electric Power Company have to apologise for anything?"

"Since one of the incompetent monkeys saved my life." Rufus raised his eyebrows as Reno wrinkled his nose.

Suddenly, the mobile phone that had fallen to the floor started to ring. Reno rushed to pick it up.

"Yo? Tseng?"

"_I'm on my way with the other Turks; we've located your position but turned off your tracking device so the others can't trace you before we can get there. I've spoken with Verdot, who's trying to call off the whole thing; but Scarlet and Heidegger won't do anything until they get confirmation from President Shinra who won't do anything until Hojo has told him it's alright."_

"Bastard."

"_Are you both alright? I heard you crashed, is everything okay?"_

"Yeah, we're both fine; Rufus is gonna need his head patched up, but it's nothing serious."

"_Can you hold on until I get there?"_

"Well, I can't see us going anywhere."

"_We'll be there as soon as we can, keep yourselves hidden."_

"Nice one, yo." Reno disconnected the call. "Help's on its way, Ruffy."

"Don't call me Ruffy."

"Sure thing, Ruffy." Reno chuckled, playfully recoiling from Rufus' cold stare. The Turk checked the clock on the dashboard, which seemed to be working.

"Damn, I should be off duty right about now. It's the weekend, yo." He muttered.

"It is?"

"Yup, past midnight."

"Huh." Rufus muttered.

"What's up? Something wrong?" A worried Reno frowned.

"No, it's nothing. It's just that it's my birthday." Rufus stated in a bored monotone.

"Well, great start to the new year of your life, eh?" Reno laughed. "Why didn't you say anything?" Rufus shrugged.

"I guess, I didn't expect it to be a big deal."

Reno frowned, but didn't say anything; leaving the helicopter in silence.

"Hey, Rufus."

"What?"

"I'm thinking of growing a mullet..."

* * *


	8. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

"_I-infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess_

_We seek it thus, and take to the sky_

_Ripples form on the water's surface_

_The wandering soul knows no rest."_ Reno read aloud, frowning in concentration.

"Jeeze, even you now, Reno? What's become of the world?" Shotgun sighed dramatically.

"Shotgun? You heard from Legend? He was supposed to see Verdot this afternoon." Two Guns leant over her desk.

"He's got mobbed again."

"Damn fangirls..."

"Isn't Rufus due back today as well?" Knife piped up, spilling coffee on her clean shirt.

"Yeah, according to Tseng he should have been back from Kalm at lunch time." Two Guns yawned and returned to his desk.

"Wonder what's taking him so long..." Knife frowned. "I hope he's okay."

"Nah, this is Rufus we're talking about. That bastard is too stubborn to die, he'll be fine. He's gotta come back and piss us off, hasn't he?" He laughed.

"Glad to hear I am of so much help to you all."

"Sir!" Everybody shot out of their seats and turned to the Vice President, who was standing in the doorway.

"Welcome back, sir!" Knife smiled.

"Yeah, glad to have you back." Shotgun winked as Two Guns patted him on the back.

"Hmph." Rufus scoffed, and glanced at Reno, who was immersed in Katana's LOVELESS book. "I'll be in my office, if you know what's good for you, you won't disturb me."

"Yes, sir." The three Turks nodded chorused in compliance, as the blonde slammed his office door.

"Phew, that was close, eh?" Shotgun shook her head.

"Reno, you were a bit rude, you couldn't have said hello!" Knife reprimanded, but Reno merely grunted, not looking up.

* * *

Rufus sighed as he walked into his office, it had been a long week, but he was finally fit and well enough to return to work. The wait had been horrific, and he had nearly gone out of his mind with boredom as he was treated in Kalm by a bunch of simpering women who wouldn't even let him get out of bed.

A large white box on his desk suddenly caught his eye. He frowned and walked over to it; highly suspicious. What on earth was it? And why was it there? He carefully lifted the lid, and nearly jumped in surprise when he saw the contents.

Inside, was a tiny black Guard Hound puppy, pining quietly; eyes wide with fear. Rufus picked it up, utterly perplexed as it squirmed in his hands. He checked the box, to see where it had come from. Tucked underneath the puppy's blanket, was a small note.

_To Rufus, Happy Birthday._

_Hope you enjoy your rabid Guard Hound._

_From,_

_The Drunk Monkeys._

"...."

"WHY THE HELL IS THERE DOG SHIT IN MY DESK!?!?!" Katana's voice bellowed from outside.


End file.
